Equipped with a steerable seven-foot antenna dish in its distinctive "Droop Snoot" or "Snoopy Nose," the EC-135N A/RIA became operational in January 1968.

The Boeing EC-135 is a retired family of command and control aircraft derived from the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter.

Mar 12, 2020 · ARIA’s ability to rapidly deploy to anywhere on the globe was a critical necessity to the Apollo and Skylab programs, and without it, the missions arguably may have not succeeded. EC-135...

Originally named Apollo Range Instrumentation Aircraft, the ARIA program was developed by NASA and the Department of Defense in the 1960s to track lunar missions, along with unmanned orbital and ballistic re-entry programs. The first of eight, then EC-135N, aircraft became operational in 1968 as the program stood up at Patrick AFB, Fla.

To implement the concept, NASA and the DOD agreed to jointly fund modification of eight C-135 jet transport/cargo aircraft. The ARIA, now designated EC-135N, became operational in January 1968, having been modified at a basic cost of $4 million per aircraft.

Jan 24, 2025 · Boeing EC-135E ARIA (717-157) with registration 61-0329 airframe details and operator history including first flight and delivery dates, seat configurations, engines, fleet numbers and names

Nov 2, 2020 · The sole remaining EC-135E Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft was flown to the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The aircraft was one of eight modified C‑135s developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the 1960s.

The EC-135 / EC-18 ARIA is a American electronic surveillance and relay aircraft, involved largely in Cold War and Space Race-era operations.

Aug 16, 2007 · Equipped with a steerable seven-foot antenna dish in its distinctive “Droop Snoot” or “Snoopy Nose,” the EC-135N A/RIA became operational in January 1968.

Oct 18, 2012 · The Boeing EC-135 was a command and control version of the C-135 Stratolifter. Modified for the "Looking Glass" program, during the Cold War EC-135 were airb...